The better festival summer – Veikkaus reached over half a million customers through festival partnerships

"After a long time, we wanted to be out there among people and get under their skin and into their minds. To offer experiences that you can't necessarily buy with money, and at the same time create happy festival memories for visitors,' says Ville Peltoniemi, Veikkaus's Sponsorship Partnerships Manager, outlining the brand image-related goals of the partnership.

The target was exceeded threefold

Veikkaus was involved in seven Nelonen Media Live festivals. The partnership included a draw for VIP ticket packages, VIP areas at the festivals, visibility at the entrances, on stage screens and wristbands, a star partnership with Harri Moisio at Rockfest, radio advertising and social media visibility.

The aim of the competition was to attract 200,000 entries for the VIP ticket package draw. That number even tripled, with 615,000 people taking part in the draws across the seven festivals.

"These 615,000 came to our online shop and, while participating in the draw, perhaps played the lottery for a few euros. The best part was that at the same time we built a database of over 500,000 customers — Finns who are interested in music and festivals. When there are gigs anywhere in Finland in the future, we can offer the kinds of benefits and prizes that these people are interested in,' Peltoniemi explains.

The level of interest is also reflected in the fact that the open rate of Veikkaus newsletters announcing the VIP ticket raffles climbed to over 40%.

"The prize is especially valuable when you're interested in music and festivals but don't have the money to buy a ticket. Through us, you can also get tickets to sold-out festivals.'"

An exclusive customer experience was linked to the Veikkaus brand

The Veikkaus brand established itself well through the festivals. According to visitor surveys, almost half of attendees reported having noticed Veikkaus's presence at the venues.

In addition to high visibility, the collaboration succeeded in linking an exclusive customer experience to the Veikkaus brand.

In the festival VIP areas, Veikkaus reached over 15,000 festival goers and 450,000 pairs of eyes through social media.

Veikkaus's presence had been particularly well noticed among the target group of young adults. In a survey conducted by Sponsor Insight, Rockfest and Suomipop Jyväskylä ranked among the ten best-known Veikkaus partnerships in the young adult target group.

According to Peltoniemi, the collaboration with Sanoma went extremely well.

"On Sanoma's side, we had real experts as teammates. The atmosphere was relaxed and easy-going. We spoke directly and there was no need to beat around the bush. The WhatsApp group was buzzing at every festival. Quick, fast-moving matters were handled through it. A great team that exceeded expectations, promises and obligations. Sanoma has a relaxed approach to working and a great spirit that you can't always buy with money," Peltoniemi praises.